It must have been fate. We’ve been talking about death and cremations (whether in a Dyson vacuum cleaner or a smoothie!) and here comes along a story that ties in nicely with today’s Fourth of July holiday and our morbid themes.

So anklebiters, this one is for you.

Hope everyone has a fun and safe holiday! Did you decide to do the picnic thing or hit the malls for the sales?

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Cremated remains part of fireworks show
Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS — One of the fireworks bursting above the city this year will contain a bit of cremated remains — a fitting tribute, organizers say, to the man who ran the annual event for 40 years.

Meredith Smith died in February at age 74. About a half-teaspoon of his ashes will be in a fireworks shell that will create a white burst in the sky for the finale of the show, which was set for last night.

“I can’t think of a better way,” said family friend Kevin Moss.

He also will be memorialized through hundreds of T-shirts referring to the tribute as “the last shot.”

Smith, a school maintenance worker, was a trained pyrotechnician. His widow, Charlotte, said they started the fireworks shows as a community service and sometimes paid for them themselves.

“Meredith felt like the people in this area didn’t get the opportunities that other people got, and so he wanted to give them the opportunity,” she said.

The release of the ashes shouldn’t harm public health, said John Althardt of the Health and Hospital Corp. of Marion County.

“I think that whatever a family can do to remember their loved one … is great,” he said.

The fireworks will be shot over the White River.

According to Indiana law, cremated remains may be disposed of on the property of a consenting owner, uninhabited public land or in a waterway.

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So where would you like your ashes scattered? From an airplane, out to sea or maybe left in a vase on a family bookshelf? I think I would be against having it scattered because it seems like it’s just being tossed away in the wind. One minute it’s there, the next it’s gone. I still prefer using it to make some kind of family jewel that can be passed on for generations. It could be the start of a jewel collection that the eldest child passes on… I guess mine would be a ruby cause it’s my birthstone.

And on a lighter note, this next story drives home the point of why us copy editors are so important. Double checking dates, phone numbers, etc. can prevent a lot of confusion and possibly some angry customer complaints…

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Wrong number! Job hotline was sex line
Associated Press

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Looking for work in all the wrong places?

That’s what happened to job seekers who dialed a phone number listed on the state’s Family Health Administration’s Web site — which actually was a phone number for women looking for sex.

The number for the Maryland Job Service Hotline was listed incorrectly on the state Web site, as well as in the Verizon Yellow Pages and other Web sites.

State officials say they are aware of the problem and are working to correct it.

The correct number to call for Maryland Job Services is 410-767-2148.

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Hmm, I wonder if anyone would be successful in suing over emotional distress…

Speaking of phone numbers, I think it’s clever when companies use numbers that incorporate their business name or the product they sell to make it easy to remember. Seen any good ones lately?

How often do you think about your death, or more accurately, how do you want to be remembered? Some folks want to be forever buried with the item that made them famous, or perhaps something synonymous with who they are.

I like the creativity behind that thought, but yet strangely feel that sometimes it seems like the death itself is not being taken too seriously. But I definitely feel everyone should rest in peace the way they want to…

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Ashes of Pringles can designer buried in his work
Associated Press

CINCINNATI — The man who designed the Pringles potato crisp packaging system was so proud of his accomplishment that a portion of his ashes has been buried in one of the iconic cans.

Fredric J. Baur, of Cincinnati, died May 4 at Vitas Hospice in Cincinnati, his family said. He was 89.

Baur’s children said they honored his request to bury him in one of the cans by placing part of his cremated remains in a Pringles container in his grave in suburban Springfield Township. The rest of his remains were placed in an urn buried along with the can, with some placed in another urn and given to a grandson, said Baur’s daughter, Linda Baur of Diamondhead, Miss.

Baur requested the burial arrangement because he was proud of his design of the Pringles container, a son, Lawrence Baur of Stevensville, Mich., said Monday.

Baur was an organic chemist and food-storage technician who specialized in research and development and quality control for Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble Co.

Baur filed for a patent for the tubular Pringles container and for the method of packaging the curved, stacked chips in the container in 1966, and it was granted in 1970, P&G archivist Ed Rider said.

Baur retired from P&G in the early 1980s.
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So would you prefer a twist on a traditional burial or cremation? Any personal items you want buried with you?

I remember reading a story a while back about some company burning the ashes and mixing it with some kind of chemical to turn it into jewelry. I always thought that was kind of neat. Though I wonder if wearing a ring or necklace made of a loved one’s ashes may seem creepy to some…

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And here’s a story for those of you who have experienced extreme weather conditions on the Mainland. Mother Nature sure has its way of amazing us — in both good and bad ways…

Tornado oddities: Toilet paper unwinds and rewinds
Associated Press

HUGO, Minn. — As residents in Hugo begin to move on from last week’s tornado, some say they noticed a few bizarre things amid all the damage. Jason Akins said the twister unwound a roll of toilet paper in his bathroom — draped it across the countertop, then rewound it in the sink. The toilet paper didn’t even rip.

“All I could say was, ‘You have got to be kidding me,’” Akins recalled.

He also said that winds overturned sofas and ripped away his roof, but dishes of cat food and water were untouched. The cat food was actually still in the bowl.

While hurricanes, floods and blizzards create broad swaths of damage, tornados seem to have tiny fingers that can reach in to small areas and cause some weird mischief. Some say tornados have their own personalities.

Terry Clarkin said the Hugo tornado stuck four steak knives in the yard — and they landed in a perfect square, with the blades in the dirt about three inches.

Across the street, a tree had been stripped of leaves, and instead was filled with pink wads of insulation — looking much like a tree from a cartoon.

Jeff Janus said the tornado protected him.

He was in his front yard when the storm hit, and he ran inside and grabbed his dog and cat.

“I saw people’s houses flying by,” he said. He didn’t make it to the basement, but instead crouched down in the hallway, with one animal in each arm. He said the storm tore off the bedroom doors and placed them almost gently on top of him — shielding him from falling debris.

When the storm passed, he said, he spit shreds of insulation from his mouth, but he felt the doors saved him.

“I find it hard to believe I am actually here,” said Janus.

Information from: St. Paul Pioneer Press
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Any amazing weather stories you can share during your time away from the Islands?

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And since this seemed to be a somewhat morbid post, here’s a photo that fits right in with the theme. Hope you never end up in a situation like this during a tornado and then having your loved ones dealing with your ashes…

At least one person died and 14 were injured when a car collided into cyclists participating in a race in Mexico’s northern border city of Matamoros on Sunday. (Associated Press)